Conductor wrapping tool

ABSTRACT

A motor driven tool for making wrapped connections of electrical conductor wire about a terminal which includes a wrapping attachment for use with relatively small diameter conductor wire. The wrapping attachment includes a rotatable bit and sleeve assembly in which the sleeve is fixed to the bit for rotation but is axially extendable and retractable with respect to the bit face for receiving and positioning a length of conductor to be wrapped. The attachment includes a digitally operated lever which is operable to axially extend the sleeve whereby a conductor wire may be placed transversely in a pair of longitudinal slots opening to the end of the sleeve. The attachment includes a stationary conductor support member positioned adjacent the end face of the bit.

United States Patent Baker et a].

[.54] CONDUCTOR WRAPPING TOOL [72] Inventors: William J. Baker, Reed City; Richard J.

Hurst, Hersey, both of Mich.

[73] Assignee: Gardner-Denver Company, Quincy, Ill.

[22] Filed: Jan. 14, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 2,714

[ 51 July 11,1972

Primary Examiner-Billy S. Taylor Attorney-Michael E. Martin ABSTRACT A motor driven tool for making wrapped connections of electrical conductor wire about a terminal which includes a wrapping attachment for use with relatively small diameter conductor wire, The wrapping attachment includes a rotatable bit and sleeve assembly in which the sleeve is fixed to the bit for rotation but is axially extendable and retractable with respect to the bit face for receiving and positioning a length of conductor to be wrapped. The attachment includes a digitally operated lever which is operable to axially extend the sleeve whereby a conductor wire may be placed transversely in a pair of longitudinal slots opening to the end of the sleeve. The attachment includes a stationary conductor support membe positioned adjacent the end face of the bit.

3 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures CONDUCTOR WRAPPING TOOL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the art of making electrical connections by wrapping a portion of conductor wire around a terminal there are provided tools which include a rotatable bit operable to feed and guide the wire to form the wrap. Prior art conductor wrapping tools generally include bits which are rotatably journaled in a stationary tubular sleeve. The end face of the bit usually includes a longitudinal bore for receiving a terminal and a longitudinal groove, slightly larger than the conductor diameter, on the periphery of the bit for receiving the conductor portion to be wound onto the terminal. The conductor is usually loaded into the groove preparatory to wrapping by manual insertion of the conductor from the open end face of the bit.

A longstanding problem in the art of making wrapped electrical connections concerns the difficulty in handling relatively small diameter conductor wire for insertion into the aforementioned conductor receiving groove. Normal human dexterity prohibits efficient loading of conductor wire of diameters less than approximately 0.010 inches by insertion of the end of the wire into the conductor receiving groove from the end face of the bit. To overcome the problem of loading small diameter conductors there have been provided wrapping bit and sleeve assemblies in which the sleeve is retractable away from the end face of the bit to expose the longitudinal conductor receiving groove. Such arrangements usually provide for loading the conductor wire into the groove by feeding the wire transversely into a position in proximity to the groove and then camming the wire into the groove by action of the sleeve. Prior art conductor wrapping tools which include extensible or retractable bit and sleeve assemblies are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,006,563 and 3,103,735 to J.R. Bos et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 3,360,808 to P.A. Taysom. However, prior art bit and sleeve assemblies which include axially extensible or retractable sleeve members have proven to be ineffective in handling the relatively small diameter conductors because they fail to provide adequate support and guide means for the conductor during the loading process.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides for a conductor wrapping tool including a rotatable wrapping bit and sleeve assembly wherein the tubular sleeve journaling the bit is axially extensible beyond the wrapping face of the bit for receiving and loading a transversely positioned conductor wire. With the wrapping bit and sleeve assembly of the present invention relatively small diameter conductor wires may be positioned transversely with respect to the rotational axis of the bit in proximity to the bit end face and, by actuation of a telescopically movable sleeve assembly, loaded into the bit preparatory to wrapping without damage to the conductor.

With the conductor wrapping bit and sleeve assembly of the present invention small diameter conductor wire, heretofore difficult to wrap with hand-held wrapping tools, may be efficiently and rapidly prepared for the wrapping operation. The conductor wrapping bit and sleeve assembly herein disclosed may also be used in automatic conductor wrapping machines employing either a conductor feeding sleeve extending or sleeve extending conductor feeding operating sequence. Moreover, the conductor wrapping tool of the present invention provides for positive guidance and support of the conductor to facilitate the loading process.

The present invention also provides for a conductor wrapping bit and sleeve assembly comprising an attachment adapted to mount on a motor driven tool for converting the tool to use for wrapping relatively small diameter conductors. With the conductor wrapping bit attachment device of the present invention so-called standard conductor wrapping tools may be easily adapted for wrapping conductors in a greater range of diameters than heretofore known.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section view of a motor driven conductor wrapping tool in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a section taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal section of the conductor wrapping bit and sleeve assembly taken along the line 33 of FIG. 5 with a portion of conductor wire loaded and prepared for the wrapping process;

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the wrapping bit and sleeve assembly with the sleeve extended and supporting a portion of conductor wire;

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of the wrapping bit and sleeve assembly with the sleeve retracted and a conductor wire loaded preparatory to the wrapping operation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. 1, a motor driven conductor wrapping tool is illustrated and generally designated by the numeral 10. The tool 10 is adapted for making wrapped connections of electrical conductor wire about a terminal in a manner well known. An example of apparatus for making wrapped connections is disclosed in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,006,563. The tool 10 includes a housing 12 having a nose portion 14 and a removable end member 16. The housing 12 includes a fluid operated motor 18 of the well known rotary vane type and including a rotor 20 rotatably mounted in bearings 22 and 24. The motor 18 is operable to receive pressure fluid such as compressed air through an inlet port 26 located in an end plate 28. The inlet port 26 is in flow communication with a connecting passage 30 and a longitudinal passage 32 in the housing. The passage 32 suitably journals a throttling valve 34 and receives pressure fluid from a supply,

not shown, by way of passage 36 and a connector 38. Spent v motive fluid is exhausted from the tool by way of passages 40 and 42 which are in communication with a muffler 44.

The rotor 20 is operable to rotatably drive a spindle 46 having a tubular portion 48 mounted in bearings 50 and nonrotatably secured to the spindle by a pin 52. The spindle 46 is rotatably driven by the rotor 20 through a coupling 54 which includes a friction clutch face 56 engaged with a mating clutch face 58 on a spindle indexing cam 60. The indexing cam 60 is nonrotatably attached to the spindle 46 by means of a key 62. The friction clutch faces 56 and 58 are held in engagement by a coil spring 64. The indexing cam and clutch arrangement illustrated in FIG. 1 is similar to that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,464,527. The cam 60 is operable to be engaged by actuating means for the tool 10 comprising a trigger 66 pivotally mounted on the tool by the pivot 68 and including a projection 70 operable to engage the cam. The trigger 66 also includes a cam surface 72 engageable with the stem of the throttling valve 34 whereby upon pivotal movement of the trigger the valve is actuated to the open position to energize the motor 18 and the indexing cam is released simultaneously to allow the spindle to rotate. The trigger 66 further includes a pivotally mounted spring biased member 74.

Detachably secured to the nose portion 14 of the housing 12 is a conductor wrapping attachment generally designated by the numeral 76. The wrapping attachment 76 comprises a frame 78 which is secured on the housing 12 by a threaded fastener 80 (see FIG. 2). The frame 78 includes a conductor support finger 82 suitably secured within the hollow interior of the frame and extending therefrom to a tip having a conductor retaining recess 84 (FIG. 3).

The wrapping attachment 76 rotatably journals a conductor wrapping bit and sleeve assembly 86 including a conductor wrapping bit 88 nonrotatably secured to a tubular sleeve 90 by means of a transverse pin 92. The pin 92 extends into a longitudinal slot 94 in the sleeve which provides for axially or longitudinally extending and retracting the sleeve with respect to the bit. In FIGS. 1, 3, and 5 the sleeve 90 is shown in the retracted position to which it is biased by a spring 96 acting against a thrust collar 98 nonrotatably contained by the frame 78. The sleeve 90 includes a transverse flange 97 which is operable to be actuated to extend the sleeve by means comprising a digitally operated lever 100 pivotally mounted on the frame 78. The lever 100 includes a yoke 102 (FIG. 2) which bears against the flange 97 to axially move the sleeve to the extended position shown in FIG. 4. The sleeve and bit assembly 86 are rotatably journaled by the member 104 which includes an annular groove 106 for receiving the end of the fastener 80 to thereby axially retain the member 104 in the nose portion 14. The member 104 includes a hex shaped portion 105 nonrotatably received by a complementary hex shaped opening 107 in the nose portion 14.

The bit 88 further includes a shank 108 which is drivably engaged with the sleeve portion 48 of the spindle and has a laterally projecting surface 109 which bears against the end face 1 of the member 104 to limit the axial movement of the bit in the direction which would displace the bit from the tool 10. The bit is biased in the position of FIG. I by first means comprising a coil spring 112 acting on the shank 108 through a transverse pin 114 which is suitably held by a collar 116. The pin 1 14 is movable in elongated slots 115 in the sleeve 48. The yieldable axial biasing of the bit 88 is desirable due to the fact that as the bit operates to wind successive helical convolutions of conductor wire on a terminal axial movement of the bit away from the terminal is necessary to prevent conductor pileup or overlaying one convolution on another. However, the required yieldability of the biasing spring 112 for axial movement of the bit during the wrapping operation is so great that in' hand-held wrapping tools used for relatively small diameter conductor wire the operator is usually unable to feel" when the terminal is properly located within the bit. In the use of wrapping bits for wrapping conductor wire in the range of 32 ga. (American Wire Gauge) and smaller, wherein the diameter of the bit itself is generally less than 0.050 inches, it is particularly difficult to determine when the bit is properly located over a terminal such as with respect to the terminal T shown in FIG. 3. Often the end of the terminal will engage the bit end face 124 forcing the bit to retract away from the end of the sleeve but giving the appearance to the tool operator of being properly situated in the terminal receiving bore 126. In the instant invention the resistance to axial displacement of the bit 88 is increased by second biasing means comprising the member 74 pivotally secured to the trigger 66 and biased into engagement with the collar 116 by the spring 118. With the additional biasing force acting to hold the bit 88 in the position of FIG. 1 contact of the bit with the terminal is easier for lever 100 is digitally actuated by the tool operator to extend the sleeve 90 as shown in FIG. 4 whereby the end portion of the conductor wire to be wrapped, including a portion with insulation 140, is transversely positioned with respect to the axis of rotation of the bit and sleeve assembly. The conductor 138 is then moved axially, with respect to the sleeve, into the slots 130 and 132 and with a slight rotation and axial movement of the tool 10 the conductor is lodged in the notch 136. The slots 130 and 132 are only slightly larger in width than the diameter of the insulated portion 140 of the conductor thereby providing adequate support for the conductor during the loading process. This is particularly important for the diameter range of conductor wire mentioned herein which is easily bent.

Upon release of the lever 100 the sleeve 90 is retracted to the position of FIG. 5 by the spring 96 and the conductor 138 is thereby pulled into the groove 122 including an insulated portion 140. The groove 122 is dimensioned to accommodate the insulation diameter of the conductor with a slight squeeze or interference fit to thereby facilitate holding the conductor in the groove. On retraction of the sleeve the conductor is also positioned in the recess 84 of the conductor support. As shown in FIG. 5 the conductor wrapping tool is ready to be placed over a terminal for the wrapping process whereby upon rotation of the bit and sleeve assembly 86 the conductor 138 will be wrapped in a series of convolutions as it is withdrawn from the groove 122.

The wrapping bit and sleeve assembly 86 may also be used in conjunction with automatic wrapping machines where, as opposed to the extend sleeve-position wire operating sequence, it is preferred to use automatic conductor feeding apparatus. In the preferred automatic machine sequence the conductor is fed transversely into position as in FIG. 4 but in alignment with the opposed slots 130 and 132. The sleeve 90 is then extended to position the conductor in the slots and then rotated slightly to align the notch 136 to engage the conductor and load same into the wrapping bit groove upon retraction of the sleeve. The present invention thus provides for a wrapping bit and sleeve assembly which may be used with both hand-held portable wrapping tools as well as automatic machines for making wrapped connections and provides improved means for making wrapped connections requiring conductors of relatively small diameter.

the tool operator to feel. When the trigger is pivoted to operate the tool the member 74 is cammed away from the collar 116 by the surface 120 on the nose portion 14 whereupon axial resistance to movement of the bit 88 is provided solely by the spring 112.

Referring to FIGS. 3 through 5, the wrapping bit 88 includes a conductor receiving groove 122 longitudinally disposed on the periphery of the bit and opening to the bit end face 124. The bit 88 further is characterized by the terminal receiving bore 126 opening to the end face 124 and a socket 128 forming a camming surface for performing the wrapping operation. The sleeve 90 includes opposed longitudinal substantially parallel slots 130 and 132 extending from the end face or portion 134 of the sleeve. The slot 132 includes a reentrant portion 136 forming a notch. The angular position of the notch 136 is such that it is aligned with the conductor receiving groove 122 on the bit and is located over the groove when the sleeve is in the retracted position shown in FIGS. 3 and 5.

In the position shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 the sleeve and bit assembly 86 is rotatably prepositioned for receiving a portion of a conductor wire 138 having an insulated portion 140. The prepositioning of the bit and sleeve assembly is determined at the termination of the previous operating cycle by the arrestation of the indexing cam by means of the projection on the operatingtrigger 66. Preparatory to loading the conductor wire 138 into the groove 122 for the wrapping operation, the

What is claimed is:

1. In a conductor wrapping tool including a motor and a re tary drive spindle:

a rotatable wrapping bit operably connected to said spindle to be rotatably driven thereby, said bit including:

a bit end face;

a terminal receiving bore in said end face, and

a conductor receiving groove on the periphery of said bit opening to said end face;

a tubular sleeve disposed in close fitting surrounding relationship with said bit and rotatable with said bit, said sleeve including an end portion and a pair of substantially parallel longitudinal slots opening to said end portion for receiving a conductor wire substantially transversely with respect to the rotational axis of said bit and said sleeve;

means for moving said sleeve along said rotational axis between a position wherein said end portion is extended beyond said bit end face for receiving said conductor wire and a retracted position wherein said end portion is adjacent said bit end face;

conductor support means comprising an elongated support stationary with respect to said bit and said sleeve, said support means including a recess for receiving a portion of said conductor wire upon movement of said sleeve to said retracted position; and,

indexing means operable to rotatably position said sleeve whereby one of said slots in said sleeve is adjacent said recess in said support.

2. A device for wrapping a conductor wire about a terminal comprising:

a frame adapted to be detachably secured to a wrapping tool, said wrapping too] including a motor and rotary spindle means connected to said motor;

a rotatable wrapping bit connected to said spindle means, said bit including a bit end face, a conductor receiving groove opening to said end face and a tubular sleeve surrounding said bit and connected to said bit for rotation with said bit;

actuating means including digitally operated means for extending said sleeve along the rotational axis of said bit beyond said bit end face for receiving a conductor wire to be loaded into said conductor receiving groove;

biasing means for yieldably biasing said sleeve in a retracted position toward said bit end face; and,

support means mounted stationary on said frame and having a portion adjacent said bit end face for supporting a portion of said conductor wire received in said conductor receiving groove.

means for providing a second bias force to hold said bit in I engagement with said retaining means, said means for providing said second bias force being responsive to said actuating means energizing said motor to relieve said bit of said second bias force. 

1. In a conductor wrapping tool including a motor and a rotary drive spindle: a rotatable wrapping bit operably connected to said spindle to be rotatably driven thereby, said bit including: a bit end face; a terminal receiving bore in said end face, and a conductor receiving groove on the periphery of said bit opening to said end face; a tubular sleeve disposed in close fitting surrounding relationship with said bit and rotatable with said bit, said sleeve including an end portion and a pair of substantially parallel longitudinal slots opening to said end portion for receiving a conductor wire substantially transversely with respect to the rotational axis of said bit and said sleeve; means for moving said sleeve along said rotational axis between a position wherein said end portion is extended beyond said bit end face for receiving said conductor wire and a retracted position wherein said end portion is adjacent said bit end face; conductor support means comprising an elongated support stationary with respect to said bit and said sleeve, said support means including a recess for receiving a portion of said conductor wire upon movement of said sleeve to said retracted position; and, indexing means operable to rotatably position said sleeve whereby one of said slots in said sleeve is adjacent said recess in said support.
 2. A device for wrapping a conductor wire about a terminal comprising: a frame adapted to be detachably secured to a wrapping tool, said wrapping tool including a motor and rotary spindle means connected to said motor; a rotatable wrapping bit connected to said spindle means, said bit including a bit end face, a conductor receiving groove opening to said end face and a tubular sleeve surrounding said bit and connected to said bit for rotation with said bit; actuating means including digitally operated means for extending said sleeve along the rotational axis of said bit beyond said bit end face for receiving a conductor wire to be loaded into said conductor receiving groove; biasing means for yieldably biasing said sleeve in a retracted position toward said bit end face; and, support means mounted stationary on said frame and having a portion adjacent said bit end face for supporting a portion of said conductor wire received in said conductor receiving groove.
 3. In a conductor wrapping tool including a motor drivably connected to a rotary spindle and actuating means for energizing and deenergizing said motor; a rotatable wrapping bit engaged with said spindle for being rotatively driven by said spindle, said bit including a surface projecting laterally with respect to the rotational axis of said bit; retaining means engageable with said surface on said bit for retaining said bit in engagement with said spindle; means for providing a first bias force to yieldably hold said bit in engagement with said retaining means, and the improvement comprising: means for providing a second bias force to hold said bit in engagement with said retaining means, said means for providing said second bias force being responsive to said actuating means energizing said motor to relieve said bit of said second bias force. 